To Belize he is known as The "Manatee Man" but to the world he has been named one out of 4 conservation leaders under New England Aquarium's Marine Conservation Action Fund. Jamal Galvez, The Program Coordinator and Research Biologist for Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute in Belize was selected and recognized for his work in " saving the Greater Caribbean endangered manatees of Belize, which are increasingly threatened by boat strikes and habitat loss with rapid coastal development." We spoke with Galvez via zoom today and asked him about his first reaction upon learning he was selected.
Jamal Galves, Ocean conservation Leader
"I was excited, the journey was, it has been over a year that this process was going on. We did many interviews, many reviews and stuff like that. And I'm truly honored. I'm truly excited. Not just for the award. It really the award is one thing, but for me, for the opportunities that it opens up for me. Not just for me, but for me as it goes. When I carry myself, I carry my people with me. So whatever I learn, I'm always willing to share. Whatever opportunities that come up that I see is relevant to these and some individuals. And this cannot, since I open that door for them, because all my life people have been opening doors for me and doors that weren't open we found a key to open it So for me, it's certainly an honor. For me, it's given me a platform that I can speak loud, speak clearly about the challenges that Belize faces as it relates to climate change, especially this for coastal communities that are hanging on to hope. I mean I was standing in Gales point last week and I went to a place that was 9-10 years ago, and I sat on a dock and 17ft away, you know, is where the shoreline is and people see these things and it seems like an impossible fight so people just try to not think about it. People have, I guess, greater concerns, but these are things that we need to really pay attention to. We don't want to wait until these things are unfixable to fix it. So for me, it's using that platform to preach to make noise and to make people understand that we are not just talking from emotion but from science and out effort are, we are a research institute everything we do is based on science and credible research so it is certainly an opportunity for us."
"to be honest, there's no door that I won't knock on."
"Despite going from a small coastal community, Gales Point Manatee But that also show the testament to all the Belizeans, like, you know, don't underestimate yourself, don't underestimate your impact. We're here to show a presence and to show that we can also contribute to making the world a better place."
The Marine Conservation Action fund has supported more than 280 projects in 60 countries since 1999 with each fellow receiving $12,000 to continue their work, either by building on their initiatives or expanding environmental education programs. All the others selected as fellows this year are more senior than he is, but Galves says he has a unique vision for the Manatee Centre in his home village of Gales Point
Jamal Galves, Ocean conservation Leader
"So as you are aware, we're in the process of developing Belize's Marine rescue and educational center which is a place to support the rescue, rescue of animals in need of care Marine animals. But not just rescue, but for also for education. So we're in communication with the universities. We're sending them. We'll use UB and other universities so that we're committed to taking students to come in and gain hands on experience. We have these assets in Belize You have these resources. And I don't believe that we're tapping into them as best as we could. We have students coming from across the world to learn how to study mangrove and study these species. I mean we have our own classrooms here. We're not using those opportunities. So that's one of the opportunities that I'm looking at. But primarily the funding is going to support the purchasing of medical equipment for the funding for the surgical suite at the center. Not just purchasing the equipment, but also for training locals, volunteers and, and individuals that will be working at the center, how to use this equipment, How to take care of them and also provide opportunities for them to learn more about marine conservation as well. So it's a mixture of, a mixture of equipment and educational and awareness efforts as well."
